It seems sad that after 20 years of Headmastering I should have
to sit downand explain the circumstances of my incarceration in the
Marondera holdingcells on Wednesday night and Thursday. It is usually at
this stage in aHeadmaster`s career that he expresses his ideas on matters
such as; corporalpunishment, smoking at school, drinking, drugs, positive
re-enforcement etcetc. Well I live in Zimbabwe and sadly, for some time now
`other issues`have taken up the time of Headmasters more than normal
schoolmastering-ifsuch a thing still exists. I have two versions of what
happened thisweek-the first the `facts`, without the human side, the second
the`experience`, with all its humour , comradeship and
coming-together.

At the end of last term I was called to Marondera Rural
to face enquiries ina case of C/s 21 (1) (b) as read with section 4 (1) (2)
of SI 28/A/03 of theEducation Act chapter 24;04 `increase any fee or levy
without approval ofthe Secretary of Education. I was required to sign a
`Warned and Cautioned`Statement. I denied the charge as I am not the
school`s ResponsibleAuthority. The schools RA is the Executive Committee.
Exco duly applies forpermission from the Secretary to increase the fees, and
had done so for thefirst term. I was also charged with accepting Forex. I
denied that chargetoo. During the holiday period we had worked on our
application for a feeincrease in the second term. It was submitted but
returned and so - in orderto ensure that we could start school as scheduled
- we decided to complywith the Secretary`s Minute of 21st of April. We
decided to start term usingthe figure of 2,1 - the last approved fee charge.
from Dec 2003. We visitedthe local Ministry offices on Friday the 30th May
and the ProvincialEducation Director stated that we could only charge 2,1;
but that we couldaccept additional payments from parents were prepared to
make as `paymentsin advance`-receipted separately---if we did this we could
open on Monday asplanned. He did ask me to redraft the application and to
take it to himearly on Monday for his approval. I was then to take it
directly into theHead Office of the Min of Ed in Harare. This I did. On
Monday I took theapplication to his office in Marondera and asked him if we
were one of theschools that would be closed - The Herald, that morning
stated that 39schools would be closed but did not give the names. He said
that thePeterhouse Group of Schools complied with the secretary`s requests
and thatwe should not be affected. I went back to school - Housemaster
Meeting,Staff-Meeting and just before Chapel, Jenny came to tell me that the
Policehad arrived and that we were CLOSED.

There was some confusion
with PHG and SPV H- Graham phoned to say that thedetails there had said that
he could open if he charged the level we agreedwith the PED. I phoned PROPOL
and they confirmed that the Peterhouse Groupof schools were closed. As you
can imagine some parents had returned theirkids - chaos prevailed - they had
to collect them. At 12.30 the PED phonedto say that the Application was
approved and that I should collect it andtake it to the Finance Director in
Harare. He could not believe that we hadbeen closed. I took the
documents-that he had approved for our increase, toAmbassador House and
pushed my way in to see the Director of Finance. TheDirector of Finance then
showed me a letter of Approval for a figure of 3,3for the first term-the
letter was addressed to the PED but had never beensent! So, in fact, we
could charge 3,3 and not 2,1 - the figure I was goingto ask from parents.
The next day, Tuesday, we travelled into Harare for acombined
Ruzawi/Peterhouse EXCO meeting. We resolved to do all we could tostart as
soon as possible. We were prepared to sign a letter stating that wewould
charge 3,3 - one third of what we had budgeted. On returning to schoolI
phoned the Director of Finance, in Harare, to ask if we could open as wehad
complied with ALL demands. He said that the Secretary was consideringour
application and that I was to phone in the morning. On Wednesday Iphoned the
Director at 15 minute intervals throughout the day. Only latethat afternoon
did I get him and he stated that our application for thebudgeted amount had
been refused - we had to charge 3,3.At 18.30 onWednesday evening I was asked
to phone Simon Hammond and Kiff Seager - ErithHarris, the Headmaster of
Ruzawi had been collected from school and taken tothe Police Station for
'questioning'. Smelling a rat - not many officerstake their job seriously
enough to do 'investigation' at night, I dressedsensibly and prepared for
whatever might be in store for me.

Graham Peebles, Springvale House
Headmaster, was with me when the Policearrived just after 19.00 and we
persuaded the Police to let him take me intothe Station. At the Station it
was obvious from the outset thatinvestigations where not on the Agenda and I
saw a piece of paper with thefull names of the four Headmasters in the
District-for `booking` purposes!JB Calderwwood, ER Harris, J. Bradshaw -
Head of Watershed College and MrsG. Martin - Head of Lendy Park prep school.
Graham and Geoff Nichols-Deputyhead of Ruzawi tried to help but to no avail.
Gill Martin - a saint of awoman - arrived in the front of a pick-up with two
male details 'forquestioning'. We were both arrested and learnt that Erith
was already in thecells. John Bradshaw was in SA having an eye operation. We
had no recourseto lawyers, we had no say at all. We were allowed one top
garment and onebottom garment of clothing and were marched off, in the dark,
to the cellswith several other prisoners. The ground was cold but the fact
that youcannot wear shoes or socks is so degrading in itself! There were no
light onthe way to the cells -no bulbs, no torches. The detail could not, at
first,open the main gate to the cells because of the dark! I asked if Gill
couldcome into the cell that Erith and I would be in but there is a
`woman`scell`. At this stage the attitude and tone of the Police details
wasoppressive-they enjoyed what they were having to do. It was pitch black
eventhough it was full moon and Gill was put into a cell with a young woman
whowas suspected of aiding thieves in a payroll robbery. My cell door
wasopened and I met the handshake of Erith. His eyes had-in the hour he
hadbeen there -got used to the lack of light. He gave me my blankets-he
hadsocks on, I didn`t!!!!! The smell was disgusting in the cell. It
measured1,75m by 2.5 with an area where a toilet pan is located. We got
talking, andGill and her cell mate started to sing--BEAUTIFULLY. The local
shabeen -withthe sound of music and drunks was drowned out when the ladies
sang. It wascold! Dreadful blankets-really dreadful, no mattresses and just
a cementfloor-it was going to be a long night.

We heard our Governors
arrive-and lawyer-from Harare but they were not givenaccess to us and left
frustrated, having to return to Harare.. At23.00-the change in shift, we had
to get out of our cell and line up on thecold grass for roll-call. Outside
the cells there is an area of grass whereyou eat and exercise-when you are
allowed out. Erith and I lined up behind16 young black men. With the two
ladies there were 20 in all in the cells. Isuddenly thought that 16 in one
cell and two in another didn`t balance andthat 7 others would be put in our
cell! Horrors! It didn`t happen and thenext day when we were moved we
realised that they were in a much bigger areathan we were! We didn`t sleep
much, we joked and chatted until about 04.30when Erith said that it should
be time for the birds to wake. After a whilewe heard the first song --the
squawked of a crow!! We had no watches, theyhad to be removed. It got
colder, we knew that dawn was close. At 05.45members from Gatehouse arrived
with food for us-Dr Kevin and Gill Martinstarted Gatehouse-a commune that
caters for the needy-many years back andhave done such wonderful work there.
I did not want to eat for fear ofhaving to go to the toilet!!!! I did asked
that the toilet pans be flushedfrom outside-I had heard from David Kay that
that was possible. The detailsaid that if the pans were blocked they would
spill over on to the floor.After15 minutes we were locked up again. At
06.30 we were let out again, we hadto line up to face a barrage of insults
and jeers from CID and I presume CIOofficers who wanted to see who they had
in the cells. Each one of us, inturn, had to call out our name and the
offence we had committed. Gill, onher turn, took a lot of abuse-she spoke of
increasing fees to keep up withinflation and was told, in no uncertain terms
that inflation was comingdown--(the price of bread had just gone up 50% the
day we were arrested)! Idecided not to rise to the abuse of these officers
and kept what I said towhat I had to say!

It was back into the cells
after numbering off yet again. At about 08.00 wewere collected for
fingerprinting. Friends had arrived at the exercise fenceand sweets etc were
passed through. Our Governors arrived-Simon Hammond- PH;Kiff Seager- Ruz and
Dr Kevin Martin-Lendy Park. Arthur Mutsonziwa-ourLawyer and on

the
Board of PH and Ruz was negotiating out release with the authorities.Kiff
said that we would be out shortly and our hopes were raised---thirtyminutes
later we were placed in the big cell and we learned that theGovernors were
now being arrested!! Dr Kevin Martin was `allowed` to go tohis Surgery while
we were locked up in the cell. Our Governors had suits onand looked very
undignified without socks or tie or belts! At 11.00 hrs wewere paraded out
again for roll-call. We were locked up again but I managedto get sweets down
the front of my pants, a toilet-roll under my arm-pit -there is no paper in
the cells- and a toothbrush in my pocket. Dr KevinMartin joined us at about
12.00 - after seeing his patients. At 15.30 wewere let out again for
`lunch`. Arthur by this stage, after contactingvirtually every influential
person in the country - its amazing how manywere in Board meetings and could
not come to the phone - its also amazinghow we, with all the contacts in the
world could not budge - what happens tothose who do not have contacts? By
16.30 we were told that we were to bereleased. We had to sign a Bail
certificate - there were none in Marondera -so we were delayed until about
17.30 - the forms had to be collected fromGoromonzi, about60kms away -
before we could leave. We were let out on $100 000.00 bail andtold to report
the next day for Court.

On Friday we reported to the Charge-Office and
made our way to court. Arthurwas superb but the law was quite plainly tipped
against us. We were allowedto go to the Lodge at lunch time as long as we
were back at Court at15.00. At 16.00 we left the Courts---PH court date 28th
of July; Ruz 5th ofAugust--I doubt that the Lendy Park case will even go to
court. I amashamed at how the Martins were treated, they have done so much
for theMarondera community over the past 27 years. Thankfully their Faith
isstrong! I then made my way to the PED to see if we could NOW open and
aftera call to the Secretary was told that The Peterhouse Group of schools
couldre-open on Sunday. What lengths must be taken to do something so normal
inother countries. Just a couple of days in the life of a Headmaster
inZimbabwe! Those who know me know that I cannot type very well-I?m sorry
thatthis is long-drawn out, excuse mistakes etc-I now prepare for the start
ofterm Thanks to those who have contacted us with messages of
support-wereally appreciate it.

THE Lupane
by-election was called after MDC MP David Mpala (above) died following a
dastardly attack by ruling party loyalists

By Staff ReporterLast updated: 05/18/2004 06:48:44 Last updated: 05/18/2004 03:46:09
ZANU PF has won the Lupane by-election by 883 votes, it has been announced
in the past few minutes.

The Lupane by-election pitted Martin Khumalo of the
ruling Zanu PF and the MDC’s Njabuliso Mguni.

Zanu PF polled 10 069 to the MDC's 9 186. The
constituency registrar said there were 300 spoilt votes while 2000 people were
turned away for various reasons.

The MDC, which has lost several seats to the ruling
party in about a dozen by-elections held since 2000, has alleged rigging and
violence.

Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement
for Democratic Change, claims that "assisted voting" gives the authorities the
power to punish or reward voters, especially over distribution of food
relief.

The constituency registrar, Willard Sayenda, said of
the 12,173 voters who had cast their ballots in the by-election by the end of
Saturday, more than 1,000 were "assisted to vote" because they claimed
illiteracy or other disabilities.

Meanwhile an opposition spokesman, Nkanyiso Maqeda,
said two men were kidnapped and tortured last week by self-styled former
independence war guerrillas. When they were released on Friday and went to
report the matter, "police said the two were against Zanu-PF
supporters."

The opposition, which won the seat in the 2000
general elections, allege that the former member of parliament in the seat,
David Mpala, who died in February this year succumbed to torture wounds
inflicted in the run-up to the polls four years ago.

MDC said Mpala's health "deteriorated... after being
tortured and stabbed by ZANU-PF supporters" in 2002.

The MDC stormed onto the Zimbabwean political scene
in 2000 parliamentary elections, clinching 57 predominantly-urban constituency
seats out of the 120 contested seats. The ruling party won 62 seats and it still
holds the majority.

Mugabe appoints 30 other non-constituency legislators
to parliament, but his party still does not enjoy the two-thirds majority
required to change the constitution.

Zimbabwe's
opposition has accused President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PFparty of
intimidation during a by-election in an opposition stronghold. The
Movement for Democratic Change said many voters around Lupane wereprevented
from casting their ballots.

The poll follows the death of an MDC
member of parliament, DavidMpala, who suffered from poor health after he was
twice abducted and beaten.

At the weekend, Mr Mugabe was quoted as
saying he would retire in2008.

Mr Mugabe, who was 80 in
February, was quoted by Kenya's East AfricanStandard newspaper as saying he
was tired of politics and wanted to writeafter his current term
expires.

Mr Mugabe was re-elected two years ago in a poll disputed
asfraudulent by the opposition.

'Assisted voting'

The MDC says that two of its activists were detained by police inLupane
after complaining that they had been abducted and beaten by
Zanu-PFsupporters.

Election officials said that some 1,000
people had been "assisted tovote" because of illiteracy or disability - out
of 12,173 who had cast theirballots on Saturday.

MDC leader
Morgan Tsvangirai says that "assisted voting," allowed byrecent changes to
the electoral law, gives the authorities the power topunish or reward
voters, especially over the distribution of food aid.

Another 1,189
would-be voters were turned away at polling stations.

Results are
expected later on Monday.

Lupane is in the western region of
Matabeleland, where the MDC wonalmost every seat in the 2000 parliamentary
elections.

Mr Mugabe's leadership has been widely criticised by
Westerngovernments over alleged human rights abuses, violent land
redistributionand attacks against the independent media.

"I
want to retire from politics," he was quoted as saying. "I have hadenough. I
am also a writer and would like to concentrate on writing afterthis term of
office is over."

This is an Amnesty International news release published on 17th May
2004

Food emergency for millions predicted as government moves to
politicise aiddistribution

Amnesty International today expressed
grave concern at the Zimbabweangovernment's moves to end international food
aid distribution, despiteindependent assessments which predict that millions
of Zimbabweans will needfood aid in the coming 12 months.

Amnesty
International said:

"If independent assessments are correct, the risk is
that food will be usedfor political ends and food supplies will go first and
only to supporters ofthe ruling party."

The government has told
international donors that it will not need food aidthis year. On 7 May the
government stopped a UN Crop and Food SupplyAssessment Mission from
evaluating the current harvest. This was followed bystatements in the
state-controlled Herald newspaper, attributed to theMinister for
Agriculture, claiming that Zimbabwe has produced more grainthan it needs
this year.

However, earlier predictions by food security monitors and the
UnitedNations, and a crop survey carried out in March by independent
consultantsfor the German-based Friedrich Ebert Foundation, all suggest that
the 2004harvest will fall far short of national requirements.

Amnesty
International visited Zimbabwe in February 2004, at which timenumerous
sources within the agricultural sector confirmed that foodproduction would
fall far short of needs in 2004/5.

Both rural and urban populations will
be affected. With unemploymentcurrently at approximately 70% and inflation
hovering around 600% it isincreasingly difficult for many Zimbabweans to
access adequate food in themarketplace.

Amnesty International is
gravely concerned that the present actions of thegovernment of Zimbabwe may
be an attempt to control food supplies ahead ofparliamentary elections
scheduled for March 2005.

If the true crop production figures for 2004
are as low as many reliablesources expect then, in the absence of
international food aid, a significantproportion of Zimbabwe's population
may, later in 2004 and into 2005, finditself reliant on grain controlled by
the state-controlled Grain MarketingBoard (GMB).

Amnesty
International continued: "Political manipulation of food,particularly
state-controlled GMB grain, by officials and supporters of theruling
Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) has beenwidely
reported over the past two years. ZANU-PF has repeatedly used food asan
electioneering tool. Viewed against a history of political manipulationof
food the government's current actions are a cause for grave concern."

It
is unclear how much grain the GMB has in reserve, as there is noindependent
assessment of GMB stocks. However, it is unlikely to besufficient to meet
the cereal gap of 500-800,000 metric tonnes whichindependent observers
predict for the coming year.

Amnesty International reminds the Zimbabwean
government that, as a party tothe International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights (ICSECR),it has an obligation to uphold the right of all
Zimbabweans to food. The UNcommittee responsible for monitoring the
Convention has stated thatgovernments must use all the resources at their
disposal, including thoseavailable through international assistance.
Discrimination in access to foodon any grounds, including political
affiliation, is a violation of theICSECR. The committee has also stated that
food should not be used as aninstrument of political
pressure.

Amnesty International further reminds the government of
Zimbabwe that allhuman rights are indivisible and interrelated. Violations
of the right tofood may impinge on many other rights, including the right to
life itself.

Amnesty is calling on the Zimbabwe authorities to respect
the right of allZimbabweans to food and to immediately allow the UN to
conduct a cropassessment mission, with a view to ensuring that any possible
food aid needsare adequately addressed. Amnesty International further calls
on thegovernment of Zimbabwe to take immediate steps to make the operations
of theGMB transparent, and open to independent monitoring.

Former City of Kwekwe mayor Johnson Mawere and son
Berrington, have beenlinked to an alleged seizure of a farm belonging to
Sables Chemicals inKwekwe. The farm, identified as Sebakwe Farm, was
reportedly invaded lastweek by a group of people who allegedly told workers
at the farm to informthe company's management to collect its equipment and
vacate the propertywithin 24 hours. The invaders allegedly told the workers
that the farm hadchanged hands and was now under the ownership of the city's
former mayor andhis son, Berrington. Mawere has however denied the
allegations. In aninterview yesterday, Sables Chemicals general manager,
David Chigodora, toldthe Daily Mirror that he was informed of the latest
developments bytelephone. "I am in the capital (Harare) and I would be
travelling back toKwekwe today (yesterday). The people on the ground have
just informed me ofthe latest developments by telephone. They said that the
people who invadedthe farm had given our company only 24 hours to collect
property from thefarm so that we would make way for them," said Chigodora.
He added that themove to seize the farm would be a big blow for many
companies that weredependent on the giant fertiliser manufacturing company
for ammoniumnitrate. The nitrate is used to produce fertiliser and other
gaseousproducts.

"A number of companies, such as Ziscosteel,
ZIMASCO, Dyno Nobel, WankieColliery and many others were dependent on Sables
Chemicals for the productsthey use in their operations. This dependency is
now under threat followingthe imminent take-over of the farm that was the
company's flagship. Thismove means that operations will be affected,"
Chigodora said. He howeverexplained that the seizure of the farm was a
result of an agreement betweenthe company and government. Close to a 100
hectares were put aside for wheatproduction. "The case here is that the
former mayor, Johnson Mawere and hisson, Berrington are eyeing the farm as
they have seen that this is alucrative venture. "They are also eyeing the
water pumps so that they mayuse them for the wheat production project," he
added. Chigodora was adamantthat his company was not going to sit down and
watch the seizure take place."We have taken the issue to the government
through the ministry of lands andalso taken it (the case) with the courts of
law where we are challenging theoccupation of the farm. We would want to
make sure the occupants of the farmare removed from the site through a court
order so that operations continueand so that we continue to supply our
clients as usual," he said.

He added: "This is sabotaging, not only
the company, but the whole countryand the mining industry as well because
this does not affect us alone butall the players in the mining sector. "We
also wonder whether governmentwould sit by idly and watch an individual
destroy the mining sector that hascome to be the flagship of the country's
economy," said Chigodora. Whencontacted for comment, Mawere denied ever
having anything to do with theseizure of the farm, saying that he had his
own farm outside Kwekwe. "I donot have anything to do with the farm that you
are talking about. I have myown farm and I wonder why I would need another
one." Mawere admitted, veinlythough, that his son could have been linked to
the bid to seize the farm,but denied that he was using his political muscle
and background toinfluence the pace at which the farm was being seized. "If
people see a sonof a high ranking official trying to earn his living
(through acquiring afarm), they quickly align it with the father of that
child. It isunfortunate, but I am not involved in that case," he said. He
added:"Although I have said this to you I will sue you if you go ahead and
writethat story because I believe it is a false story," he said.
Chigodorahowever said that his company would go ahead and challenge the
invasion ofthe farm despite denials by Mawere, saying that the farm is an
important andintegral part of their production process.

The owners of Kondozi, a
thriving Zimbabwean farm seized violently by thegovernment recently, are
preparing to move their highly profitablehorticultural farming business to
Mozambique and Zambia. This means thatMozambique and Zambia will now reap
the economic benefits of the soon-to-beliquidated Zimbabwean company, one of
the largest horticultural farms inAfrica, with an annual turnover of $15m.
The company supplies products to SAand Europe. Edwin Moyo, majority
shareholder in the company that ran Kondozihorticultural farm, said last
week that the Mozambican government had giventhem 800ha of land to operate
its business in Manica Province. "In Zambia wehave bought 2000ha in Gwembe
Valley. The project is equipped withstate-of-the-art irrigation equipment,
including 20 centre pivots." Moyosaid his company, which he runs jointly
with former white commercialfarmers, had received 30m from donor agencies to
fund the new operations.SA's Industrial Development Corporation,
Netherlands-based Psom, UK-basedTescos and Barclays Bank International had
agreed to provide extra funds.

Kondozi farm was raided on Good Friday by
government supporters, backed byheavily armed army and military officers.
The military-style offensiveresulted in farm workers being assaulted and
violently thrown out. About5000 workers and their families were left
homeless. The farm was invaded onChristmas Day last year by a group led by
Zimbabwean Agriculture MinisterJoseph Made. During the Easter holidays
soldiers and police also invadedopposition Movement for Democratic Change MP
Roy Bennett's Charleswoodestate. Both the Kondozi farm and Charleswood are
located in the easternManicaland province. The army also evicted tourists
and took over a lodgeowned by foreign investors. The Zimbabwean government
claimed that Kondoziwas occupied by the state-owned Agricultural and Rural
DevelopmentAuthority, but evicted farm owners alleged that top politicians
were behindthe illegal raid. Information Minister Jonathan Moyo vowed at the
time thatthe 224ha Kondozi land would be seized "come rain, come sunshine".
EdwinMoyo said: "We will not waste anymore time on Kondozi in Odzi,
Manicaland. Ihave been rendered a second-class citizen in my country of
origin so we willtake our business elsewhere." He said his company had
stopped constructionof a pack house in Mutare and in the process Zimbabwe
lost a Z7,6bninvestment and job opportunities. The packhouse would have
housedhorticulture and fresh produce handling facilities before shipment to
exportmarkets. "It will soon be built in Manica, Mozambique, instead and it
willbe used as the hub of all our export activities," said Moyo.

By
AgenciesLast updated: 05/17/2004 21:28:15THE 20 million-litre fuel
credit line worth over P28 million, which Botswanaextended to Zimbabwe in
2000 has been "indirectly written off", according tothe latest Auditor
General's Report.

Botswana's Auditor General Seletlanyo Serema is seeking
clarification fromhis Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International
Co-operation on why theywrote the loan off.

The just released Auditor
General's report for the year that ended on March31, 2003 questions,
"whether it was a loan or was it made on ex gratia basis(done as a
favour)".

Serema told BOPA that Foreign Affairs and International
Co-operation said ithad settled the debt by crediting the National Petroleum
Fund from which theloan was drawn.

This was done by debiting against
the ministry's 2001/2002 recurrent votewith the hope that Zimbabwe would
reciprocate in kind, he said.

He wondered who gave the ministry authority
to settle the loan.

"If it has to be written off Cabinet has to give
authority because it is alot of money." According to the report, the matter
was discussed at lengthat the last sitting of the Public Accounts Committee
without reaching anyconclusion.

"As a follow up on the matter, I
(Auditor General) wrote to the accountingofficer in November 2003 to enquire
and also to seek his justification forwriting off the amount." Botswana
loaned Zimbabwe 10 million litres ofdiesel fuel, five million litres of
petrol and five million litres ofaviation fuel in 2000 to address an acute
fuel shortage.

Since then the government had apparently been exerting
pressure on Zimbabweto service the loan but to no avail.

The Zimbabwe
Independent newspaper reported in 2002 that "the Botswanagovernment has used
every platform available to raise the issue with Harare,especially with the
foreign affairs department during regional gatherings.".BOPA

Mon May 17, 2004 8:40 PM HARARE (Reuters) - International CricketCouncil
(ICC) chief executive Malcolm Speed said on Monday he would notmediate or
"broker a deal" in the dispute between the Zimbabwe Cricket Union(ZCU) and
15 rebel players. Speed has arrived in Harare in the ICC's first direct
intervention inthe crisis, which has entered its second month.

"I'm not here to broker a deal, I'm not here to act as a mediator,"Speed
told reporters. "I'm here with the agreement of the ZCU that I willnot
mediate.

"I will respect those conditions that are placed on my
visit."

The impasse was sparked on April 2 when Heath Streak's
reign asZimbabwe captain ended after he questioned the composition of the
country'sselection panel.

Fourteen other experienced players
supported Streak and the 15 madethemselves unavailable for selection until
the ZCU agreed to bindingarbitration.

The rebels want
arbitration on Streak's removal from the captaincy,the composition of the
selection panel and alleged poor conduct of ZCUofficials.

The
ZCU responded with an offer of mediation, which unlike arbitrationis not
legally binding.

The rebels initially rejected the offer but had
accepted it inprinciple when the board sacked them on May 10.

Speed said the crisis had raised alarm in international cricketcircles
mainly because it had forced Zimbabwe to select inexperienced squadsfor the
home series against Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka won the one-day series
5-0, dismissing Zimbabwe for a worldrecord lowest total of 35 on the way,
and won both tests by an innings.

"It's fair to say there is
widespread concern around the cricketcommunity about the events that have
been happening in Zimbabwe," Speedsaid.

"In particular, there
is concern about the integrity of test cricket.

"One of the issues
we will discuss is the integrity of test cricket,and the impact that these
events have on the future of the ZCU."

Life has become a nightmare on the roads of Zimbabwe, where
hijackers areterrorising motorists, sometimes allegedly with the blessing of
seniorgovernment officials.

The state run Herald newspaper says law
enforcement agents have arrested twomen who allegedly shot and killed two
policemen at a roadblock innorth-eastern border area of
Mukumbura.

The accused, who also allegedly confessed to killing Leonard
Chimimba, theChief Executive of Trojan Nickel Mine as he parked in front of
his home lastMonday in the capital, Harare, are said to be members of a
syndicate ofarmed robbers.

Chimimba was murdered amid reports saying
he had vital information about theearlier hijacking of a large amount of
nickel belonging to his mine in SouthAfrica. He had been scheduled to meet
Gideon Gono, the Reserve BankGovernor.

The Herald quotes a police
spokesperson, Michael Munyikwa, as saying the tworobbers tried and failed to
drive Chimimba's vehicle, as it had ananti-hijack security system
attached.

Two more suspected hijackers have been picked up by the
Zimbabweanauthorities in Mozambique after they allegedly jumped the border
followingtheir alleged long terrorisation of Harare suburbs.

Yet two
more hijackers have been sentenced to death in the High Court, afterbeing
convicted of shooting and killing two policemen manning a roadblock in2001
in Harare's Mabelreign area.

Law enforcement agents have also arrested
another man suspected of shootingand killing a police officer in the eastern
town of Marondera.

The reports come amid claims of some senior members of
the Zimbabwe RepublicPolice being involved in the syndicates of hijackers,
who give them largecuts from their illegally earned proceeds.

Sources
within the police force say a number of junior officers are beingvictimised
after exposing some of the alleged rot, involving high-rankingofficials
benefiting from the car thefts that have rocked Zimbabwe.

A PARLIAMENTARY portfolio committee has recommended
the need foradministrative mechanisms to be put in place to ensure that all
ministrieseffectively monitor the submission of annual reports by
parastatals.

This follows revelations that the majority of the
parastatals were operatingin the dark as they had not been submitting their
annual reports for yearsto the Comptroller and Auditor
General.

Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee and Glen Norah MP
Ms PriscillaMisihairabwi-Mushonga (MDC) told Parliament on Wednesday that
parastatalswere failing to submit their annual reports and no punitive
measures werebeing taken.

Presenting a special report of the
committee on parastatals, MsMisihairabwi-Mushonga said there was no
accountability on the submission ofannual reports by the
parastatals.

"The scenario is extremely undesirable as it becomes
difficult to ascertainwhether existing assets are being properly utilised or
used in a manner thatgives value for money," she said.

The legislator
said organisations such as the National Social SecurityAuthority only tabled
their 1998 to 2001 annual reports in January this yearand even these reports
were not up to date.

"In view of the failure by ministries and
parastatals to submit and tabletheir reports as required by the law, your
committee has found it necessaryto conduct intensive enquiries into the
audit of parastatals and keep thehouse informed of the progress," she
said.

The committee, Ms Misihairabwi-Mushonga said, recommended that
noparastatals should be privatised without their current financial
statementsor accounts having been tabled and adopted in
Parliament.

She said a value for money audit carried out by the
Comptroller and AuditorGeneral on the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority
showed that the powerutility was having problems in its service
delivery.

"The audit that focused on the maintenance and distribution
network revealedthat Zesa was not adequately monitoring the supply and
distribution ofelectricity which was evidenced by the increase in the number
of faults," MsMisihairabwi-Mushonga said.

The committee, Ms
Misihairabwi-Mushonga said, noted that it was not clearhow the Comptroller
and Auditor General's office could relate to parastatalsthat were being
unbundled such as Zesa.

"These unbundled companies cannot be audited in
terms of the Audit andExchequer Act and your committee also noted that some
parastatals wereincreasing tariffs soon after they were unbundled and one
wonders whetherthese increases are justified," she said.

Seconding
the motion, Buhera South MP Cde Kumbirai Kangai (Zanu-PF) said itwas quite
obvious that parastatals were not submitting their annual reportsfor
auditing.

"We are concerned that these parastatals should submit their
statements ofaccounts," he said.

GOVERNMENT has approved recommendations by the Wages
and Salaries AdvisoryBoard to increase minimum wages for domestic workers,
the Minister of PublicService, Labour and Social Welfare, Cde Paul Mangwana
has said.

As a result, a grade one gardener should now earn $83 000 a
month, up from$12 000, a grade two cook/housekeeper should earn $90 300 up
from $13 060 amonth, while the salary for a minder of a grade three child, a
disabledperson or aged has been increased from $15 800 to $109 245 a
month.

Disabled or aged minders with a Zimbabwe Red Cross Society
certificate nowearn a monthly salary of $131 094, up from $18
960.

Transport and accommodation allowances for domestic workers have
also beenincreased to $40 000 and $18 000 a month.

The price of bread has gone up
from $2 200 to $2 900, that of chicken from$11 000 to $14 350 per kg, beef
is selling at between $12 000 and $35 000 akg up from between $9 000 and $11
000 recently. A 100-ml tube of toothpastetube now costs $8 960 up from $6
660 while a 375 gramme of dried kapentafish costs $7 290 up from $5
350.

A crate of eggs now costs between $16 000 and $17 000 up from $12
990, whilesome bath soaps are now selling at $4 500 up from $2 900. A 500-ml
packet offresh milk now costs $1 900, up from $1 680. A 750ml bottle of
cooking oilnow costs between $7 800 and $8 200, up from around $6
000.

A 21-inch colour television set now costs $4 million up from $3,5
millionwhile a radio set that used to cost $3 million a few weeks ago now
costs $4million.

Urban fares have gone up from $1 000 to $1 500 while
rural and long distancebus fares have gone up from $110 to $150 a
kilometre.

Accommodation has continued to be elusive with a room in the
high-densitysuburbs costing around $60 000 a month while a two bedroom flat
now costsaround $1,2 million.

This is despite the fact that consumer
rights activists and labour leadersrecently said the prices of basic
commodities should fall following areduction in production costs experienced
by many manufacturers.

They also cited the availability of cheap finance
under the Reserve Bank'slow interest Productive Sector Facility and the
decline in inflation as someof the factors that should compel manufacturers
to review the prices oftheir products downwards.

Some manufacturers
like the Bakers Association of Zimbabwe said the breadprice rise had been
necessitated by the rising costs of inputs such as flourand
electricity.

The price of flour has gone up from $2,4 million a tonne to
$3,4 millionwhile electricity tariffs have gone up by at least 1 300 percent
since lastNovember.

Consumers who spoke to The Herald said the price
increases could signal thebeginning of a trend, which would see prices of
all commodities going up.

The Consumer Council of Zimbabwe said the
increase in prices would be hardon the consumers as they had become used to
the stability that has beenexperienced since October last
year.

Prices had stabilised with most families being able to afford most
of thebasic commodities.

Some traders have attributed the price
escalations to the increase in theexchange rate for the US$ dollar.

A
special rate of $5 200 for exporters was introduced by the Reserve Bank
ofZimbabwe as an incentive for them to increase exports. This also resulted
inthe auction rate rising to more than $5 000 from $4 600.

Most
employers awarded their workers increments of between 100 and 600percent
since the beginning of the year but the poverty datum line pegged at$988 490
remains a mark for most people.

The Reserve Bank governor recently
criticised manufacturers for not passingon the benefits of the cheap funds
to the consumers by reducing the pricesof their products as measures
introduced by the RBZ were meant to benefitboth manufacturers and
consumers.

THE Ministry of Finance and Economic
Development will next month announce areview of the 2004 national budget as
it seeks to assess progress made inthe implementation of policies and other
strategies set out in the budgetstatement in November last
year.

Acting Minister of Finance and Economic Development Dr Herbert
Murerwa saidthe review had been necessitated by the dynamic environment that
wasprevailing in the economy and the need to maintain the momentum gathered
sofar this year.

Briefing journalists at a Press conference
yesterday, Dr Murerwa said hisministry would consult all stakeholders in
formulating what he termed thenew Mid-Term Fiscal Policy Statement
(MTFPS).

Consultations would focus on the need to ensure sound fiscal and
monetarypolicies, among other key issues.

"This means that for the
third and fourth quarters of this year,stakeholders would be kept informed
on progress and challenges encounteredin implementing both monetary and
fiscal policies," said Dr Murerwa.

This is a departure from the norm
where previously the Minister of Financeand Economic Development is only
expected to present reviews to Parliament.

Fiscal policy refers to the
way in which the Government exerts influence onthe economy through its
overall budgetary decisions.

The challenge of the fiscal policy is to
adopt actions that are proper forthe prevailing circumstances.

On the
other hand, the monetary policy regulates money supply and interestrates by
a central bank, such as the (RBZ) in order to control inflation andstabilise
currency.

These two policies complement each other. Thus, the need for
coordinationbetween fiscal and monetary policies is of paramount
importance.

Dr Murerwa said the objectives of the MFTPS hinged on
updating the nation onthe current performance of the budget and to ensure
there was no discordwith the monetary policy.

"We want to ascertain
fiscal discipline for macro-economic stabilisation andsound management of
Government projects and programmes in line withavailable human and physical
and financial resources."

Further to this, the MFTPS, which is an
addition to the quarterly report toParliament is expected to increase
service delivery and ensure efficiencythrough the allocation of public
resources to strategic priorities.

Dr Murerwa has since invited all
interested stakeholders to forward theirviews on the various facets of
budget.

"We are also inviting write-ups from individuals and
organisations withstrong views on specific areas requiring
reform."

The diplomatic missions of Zimbabwe and Lesotho
here in Addis Ababa arenamed for rent defaulting to the state owned Agency
for the Administrationof Rented Houses (AARH).

The embassies were
sued by AARH at the Federal First Instance Court inabsentia despite their
diplomatic immunity.

The housing agency has put up a charge against the
Embassy of Zimbabwe forallegedly defaulting a rent - a sum of 14,880 birr
for two houses theembassy had rented.

The agency demanded rent
arrears for the year 1990 and damages brought onthe premises. Since the
agency's request was not properly addressed by theembassy, the charge
stated, AARH was forced to file the charges.

The court, having the
proceeding in absentia, had fully accepted the claimsof the
embassy.

The office of the Embassy of Zimbabwe had declined to comment
saying thecase is premature for the press.

In a similar development,
the Lesotho Embassy here in Addis Ababa faced averdict by the Federal First
Instance Court for defaulting its rent to AARH.

According to a verdict
given by the court, the embassy had acquired a houselocated in woreda 28
kebele 01 for a monthly rent of 644 US Dollars. Theagency accused that the
embassy had defaulted 11 months rent in the year1995/96 claiming a total of
41,139 birr.

The court had ruled per the charges of the housing
agency.

Pertinent officials of Lesotho Embassy were not immediately
available forcomment. It can be recalled that a number of African foreign
missions havefaced legal actions by AARH for rent arrears.

DAR ES SALAAM, - Southern African countries will
have to raise theiragricultural productivity if they are to feed their
expanding populations,the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) warned
at the weekend.

Addressing an extraordinary summit of the Southern
African DevelopmentCommunity (SADC) on agriculture and food security in Dar
es Salaam,Tanzania, FAO Secretary General Jacques Diouf called for increased
spendingon the agricultural sector.

"The ministers of the economy,
finance and of the budget need to dedicate atleast 10 percent of the
national budget to agriculture; they also need tosee that agriculture
receives an appropriate allocation of resources frompoverty reduction and
debt alleviation programmes, and also EuropeanDevelopment Funds," he
said.

Diouf noted that that average per capita food production in the
region hadeither stagnated or decreased in recent years, improved seed
varieties werenot widely used, and livestock vaccines and feed were
insufficient;aquaculture, which already accounted for 30 percent of the
global fishsupply, was still in its infancy.

"With 87 million people,
representing 43 percent of the population,undernourished - up from 33
percent in 1990-92 - SADC is among the Africanregions with the highest
hunger prevalence rates," Diouf added. The region'spopulation was expected
to number 400 million by 2050.

According to SADC Executive Director Prega
Ramsamy, cereal production in theregion had been stagnant for over a decade,
improving slightly to 22,753million mt in 2003, compared to 22,062 million
mt in 1990, while thepopulation had grown from 152 million in 1990 to 212
million in 2003.

"Peace in our region will not last if our people are
haunted by poverty andunderdevelopment," Namibian President Sam Nujoma
cautioned. "This is adisturbing phenomenon, which we have to reverse as a
matter of urgency."

The summit, convened by Tanzanian President Benjamin
Mkapa, who is also thecurrent chairman of SADC, approved the Dar es Salaam
Declaration onAgriculture and Food Security, which reiterated a joint
regional commitmentto resuscitating agriculture through the implementation
of an action plan.

The declaration focuses on some of the most serious
problems facing theagricultural sector in Southern Africa, such as
inequalities in incomedistribution and constraints in accessing the means of
production, includingland and capital.

It also pointed out the impact
of HIV/AIDS on agricultural productivity, andthe urgent need to empower
small-scale farmers with limited access to keyagricultural inputs, such as
fertilisers and improved seed varieties thatcould contribute to higher
yields.

"We are very delighted that the recommendations set us in a new
thrust tomake agriculture to be a prop to economic development," Zimbabwean
PresidentRobert Mugabe told reporters.

Over the past three years a
number of southern African countries have facedacute food shortages, mainly
due to adverse weather conditions, poverty,issues of governance and
HIV/AIDS. In 2002, an estimated 15 million peoplein the region needed food
aid. This year, UN agencies have warned ofcontinued food insecurity in
Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland, Malawi,Lesotho, and
Zambia.

DAR ES SALAAM, - Southern
African countries will have to raise theiragricultural productivity if they
are to feed their expanding populations,the UN Food and Agricultural
Organisation (FAO) warned at the weekend.

Addressing an extraordinary
summit of the Southern African DevelopmentCommunity (SADC) on agriculture
and food security in Dar es Salaam,Tanzania, FAO Secretary General Jacques
Diouf called for increased spendingon the agricultural sector.

"The
ministers of the economy, finance and of the budget need to dedicate atleast
10 percent of the national budget to agriculture; they also need tosee that
agriculture receives an appropriate allocation of resources frompoverty
reduction and debt alleviation programmes, and also EuropeanDevelopment
Funds," he said.

Diouf noted that that average per capita food production
in the region hadeither stagnated or decreased in recent years, improved
seed varieties werenot widely used, and livestock vaccines and feed were
insufficient;aquaculture, which already accounted for 30 percent of the
global fishsupply, was still in its infancy.

"With 87 million people,
representing 43 percent of the population,undernourished - up from 33
percent in 1990-92 - SADC is among the Africanregions with the highest
hunger prevalence rates," Diouf added. The region'spopulation was expected
to number 400 million by 2050.

According to SADC Executive Director Prega
Ramsamy, cereal production in theregion had been stagnant for over a decade,
improving slightly to 22,753million mt in 2003, compared to 22,062 million
mt in 1990, while thepopulation had grown from 152 million in 1990 to 212
million in 2003.

"Peace in our region will not last if our people are
haunted by poverty andunderdevelopment," Namibian President Sam Nujoma
cautioned. "This is adisturbing phenomenon, which we have to reverse as a
matter of urgency."

The summit, convened by Tanzanian President Benjamin
Mkapa, who is also thecurrent chairman of SADC, approved the Dar es Salaam
Declaration onAgriculture and Food Security, which reiterated a joint
regional commitmentto resuscitating agriculture through the implementation
of an action plan.

The declaration focuses on some of the most serious
problems facing theagricultural sector in Southern Africa, such as
inequalities in incomedistribution and constraints in accessing the means of
production, includingland and capital.

It also pointed out the impact
of HIV/AIDS on agricultural productivity, andthe urgent need to empower
small-scale farmers with limited access to keyagricultural inputs, such as
fertilisers and improved seed varieties thatcould contribute to higher
yields.

"We are very delighted that the recommendations set us in a new
thrust tomake agriculture to be a prop to economic development," Zimbabwean
PresidentRobert Mugabe told reporters.

Over the past three years a
number of southern African countries have facedacute food shortages, mainly
due to adverse weather conditions, poverty,issues of governance and
HIV/AIDS. In 2002, an estimated 15 million peoplein the region needed food
aid. This year, UN agencies have warned ofcontinued food insecurity in
Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland, Malawi,Lesotho, and
Zambia.

In September 2003 Catholic Relief
Services (CRS) launched a MarketAssistance Pilot Programme (MAPP) to reduce
urban vulnerability inZimbabwe's second city, Bulawayo. The United States
Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID) funded MAPP and provided sorghum
to beneficiaries as alow-cost alternative to maize.

The pilot
programme imported 20,000 mt of sorghum, which was milled andplaced in
strategic retail outlets for sale to the public at a
subsidisedprice.

"During a time when Zimbabwe's urban population has
seen its purchasingpower slashed by soaring inflation and widespread
unemployment, with limitedaccess to food, a unique market intervention has
worked to rebuild thefailing commercial sector and sustain the urban poor,"
the Consortium forSouthern Africa Food Security Emergency (C-SAFE), of which
CRS is a member,said in a statement.

C-SAFE, comprised of CRS, World
Vision and CARE, began the programme in abid to mitigate the combined
effects of drought, Zimbabwe's deterioratingeconomic situation and HIV/AIDS.
These factors had "left livelihoods frayedand urban communities powerless to
emerge from a state of chronic foodinsecurity," C-SAFE
commented.

"Relief, aid and development projects have traditionally
focused on ruralareas, where needs are severe. But in Zimbabwe's case, where
we have massivemarket failures in urban areas, the evaporation of
infrastructure andcritical wounding of the local economy, the ability to
recuperate islimited, and prospects for hunger relief are poor," Brad
Barnett of CRS wasquoted as saying.

As an alternative to traditional
food distributions, C-SAFE approachedexisting commercial entities that could
facilitate a programme aimed at"filling the market gap" with an affordable
maize substitute.

"The sorghum proposal initially encountered resistance
from both retailersand consumers, given its lack of commercial presence in
the local market forseveral generations. However, within weeks, 150
retailers in 40 high-densityBulawayo suburbs agreed to sell the cereal.
Demand exploded from 30 mt to300 mt a day, and by November seven local
millers were milling and packagingthe USAID sorghum to meet the incredible
consumer demand," C-SAFE noted.

A 10kg bag of sorghum currently retails
for Zim $6,000 (US $1.20).Zimbabweans struggle to afford maize meal - which
costs more than Zim$20,000 (US $4) per 10 kg bag - when it is
available.

Annual inflation in Zimbabwe stood at 583.7 percent last
month. The countryhas been ravaged by food shortages for the past few years
and an averagemonthly food basket now costs at least Zim $500,000 (US
$94.85), while theaverage monthly salary of a worker is about Zim $80,000
(US $15.77).

"The price of sorghum set by C-SAFE is determined by income,
household size,and the retail price gap between maize and sorghum. When
cereal prices rise,the potential for side marketing increases, so C-SAFE
monitors the marketactivity and adjusts the sorghum price accordingly.
Retailers are alsopermitted a 15 percent mark-up on the product to ensure
profitability. Thesorghum is an easy sell and it is priced to move, but it
stays in the targetmarket," C-SAFE explained.

PROGRAMME
EXPANDING

In late 2003 C-SAFE assessed the possibility of expanding the
MAPP to otherpoor urban areas and found that "purchases of sorghum jumped
from 0 percentto 82 percent of households in four months, satisfying a
market gap in unmetcereal demand".

There was also a concurrent
increase in the number of meals consumed dailyby both children and adults.
"The MAPP had succeeded in its approach to beself-targeting, readily
available and commercially accepted," C-SAFEconcluded.

The Bulawayo
market now consumes around 1,000 mt of MAPP sorghum each month,where an
estimated 77 percent of the population, or 460,000 people, arebeing fed each
month by the programme.

C-SAFE announced that "in recognition of the
MAPP's impact, and itspotential to assist many more vulnerable households,
USAID Food for Peacehas approved a MAPP expansion to Gweru, targeting over
100,000 urban poor;an expansion to Chitunguiza, targeting 250,000 urban
poor; and thecontinuation of the original programme in
Bulawayo."

C-SAFE spokeswoman Kristy Allen-Shirley told IRIN that the
"MAPP programmewill be running through to at least the end of this fiscal
year (October2004)", and the possibility of replicating the MAPP in Zambia
was beingconsidered.

"We will see if it is appropriate for the
Zambian population, and if we cansecure funding for it," Allen-Shirley
added.

The expansion of the MAPP into other urban centres "would support
C-SAFE'sgoal to improve and maintain the nutritional status of targeted
vulnerablegroups; increase support to households affected by HIV/AIDS;
increase andmaintain agricultural productivity and improve market linkages,"
theorganisation observed.

Barnett lauded the programme, saying "it
can enter a market and satisfy theunmet needs of low-income households
immediately and begin to rebuild thecommercial structure at the same
time".

"We are linking all levels of community from consumers to
small-scaletraders to experienced millers and eventually aim at linking with
localproducers of sorghum. Because sorghum is also a drought resistant crop,
it'sbetter suited to the semi-arid climate of Matabeleland [province]
thanmaize," said Barnett.

"Now that we've demonstrated a commercial
acceptance of the cereal, we wouldbe keen to find a way to encourage the
intensive cultivation of it here inZimbabwe, to rebuild the cereal market
into one that is againself-sustaining and autonomous. For now, the MAPP's
supply of sorghum isclosing the market gap and its reliability is
appreciated in an environmentwhere uncertainty
reigns."

In September 2003 Catholic Relief
Services (CRS) launched a MarketAssistance Pilot Programme (MAPP) to reduce
urban vulnerability inZimbabwe's second city, Bulawayo. The United States
Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID) funded MAPP and provided sorghum
to beneficiaries as alow-cost alternative to maize.

The pilot
programme imported 20,000 mt of sorghum, which was milled andplaced in
strategic retail outlets for sale to the public at a
subsidisedprice.

"During a time when Zimbabwe's urban population has
seen its purchasingpower slashed by soaring inflation and widespread
unemployment, with limitedaccess to food, a unique market intervention has
worked to rebuild thefailing commercial sector and sustain the urban poor,"
the Consortium forSouthern Africa Food Security Emergency (C-SAFE), of which
CRS is a member,said in a statement.

C-SAFE, comprised of CRS, World
Vision and CARE, began the programme in abid to mitigate the combined
effects of drought, Zimbabwe's deterioratingeconomic situation and HIV/AIDS.
These factors had "left livelihoods frayedand urban communities powerless to
emerge from a state of chronic foodinsecurity," C-SAFE
commented.

"Relief, aid and development projects have traditionally
focused on ruralareas, where needs are severe. But in Zimbabwe's case, where
we have massivemarket failures in urban areas, the evaporation of
infrastructure andcritical wounding of the local economy, the ability to
recuperate islimited, and prospects for hunger relief are poor," Brad
Barnett of CRS wasquoted as saying.

As an alternative to traditional
food distributions, C-SAFE approachedexisting commercial entities that could
facilitate a programme aimed at"filling the market gap" with an affordable
maize substitute.

"The sorghum proposal initially encountered resistance
from both retailersand consumers, given its lack of commercial presence in
the local market forseveral generations. However, within weeks, 150
retailers in 40 high-densityBulawayo suburbs agreed to sell the cereal.
Demand exploded from 30 mt to300 mt a day, and by November seven local
millers were milling and packagingthe USAID sorghum to meet the incredible
consumer demand," C-SAFE noted.

A 10kg bag of sorghum currently retails
for Zim $6,000 (US $1.20).Zimbabweans struggle to afford maize meal - which
costs more than Zim$20,000 (US $4) per 10 kg bag - when it is
available.

Annual inflation in Zimbabwe stood at 583.7 percent last
month. The countryhas been ravaged by food shortages for the past few years
and an averagemonthly food basket now costs at least Zim $500,000 (US
$94.85), while theaverage monthly salary of a worker is about Zim $80,000
(US $15.77).

"The price of sorghum set by C-SAFE is determined by income,
household size,and the retail price gap between maize and sorghum. When
cereal prices rise,the potential for side marketing increases, so C-SAFE
monitors the marketactivity and adjusts the sorghum price accordingly.
Retailers are alsopermitted a 15 percent mark-up on the product to ensure
profitability. Thesorghum is an easy sell and it is priced to move, but it
stays in the targetmarket," C-SAFE explained.

PROGRAMME
EXPANDING

In late 2003 C-SAFE assessed the possibility of expanding the
MAPP to otherpoor urban areas and found that "purchases of sorghum jumped
from 0 percentto 82 percent of households in four months, satisfying a
market gap in unmetcereal demand".

There was also a concurrent
increase in the number of meals consumed dailyby both children and adults.
"The MAPP had succeeded in its approach to beself-targeting, readily
available and commercially accepted," C-SAFEconcluded.

The Bulawayo
market now consumes around 1,000 mt of MAPP sorghum each month,where an
estimated 77 percent of the population, or 460,000 people, arebeing fed each
month by the programme.

C-SAFE announced that "in recognition of the
MAPP's impact, and itspotential to assist many more vulnerable households,
USAID Food for Peacehas approved a MAPP expansion to Gweru, targeting over
100,000 urban poor;an expansion to Chitunguiza, targeting 250,000 urban
poor; and thecontinuation of the original programme in
Bulawayo."

C-SAFE spokeswoman Kristy Allen-Shirley told IRIN that the
"MAPP programmewill be running through to at least the end of this fiscal
year (October2004)", and the possibility of replicating the MAPP in Zambia
was beingconsidered.

"We will see if it is appropriate for the
Zambian population, and if we cansecure funding for it," Allen-Shirley
added.

The expansion of the MAPP into other urban centres "would support
C-SAFE'sgoal to improve and maintain the nutritional status of targeted
vulnerablegroups; increase support to households affected by HIV/AIDS;
increase andmaintain agricultural productivity and improve market linkages,"
theorganisation observed.

Barnett lauded the programme, saying "it
can enter a market and satisfy theunmet needs of low-income households
immediately and begin to rebuild thecommercial structure at the same
time".

"We are linking all levels of community from consumers to
small-scaletraders to experienced millers and eventually aim at linking with
localproducers of sorghum. Because sorghum is also a drought resistant crop,
it'sbetter suited to the semi-arid climate of Matabeleland [province]
thanmaize," said Barnett.

"Now that we've demonstrated a commercial
acceptance of the cereal, we wouldbe keen to find a way to encourage the
intensive cultivation of it here inZimbabwe, to rebuild the cereal market
into one that is againself-sustaining and autonomous. For now, the MAPP's
supply of sorghum isclosing the market gap and its reliability is
appreciated in an environmentwhere uncertainty
reigns."

Johannesburg : The Democratic Alliance called on President Thabo
Mbeki onMonday to get his Zimbabwean counterpart Robert Mugabe to release
SouthAfricans held in a Harare prison.

Addressing reporters at a
media briefing that was attended by some familymembers of the men who were
arrested on March 7 on charges of plotting acoup in Equatorial Guinea,
Gibson said: "President Mbeki has a wonderfulrelationship with President
Mugabe and they can solve the situation betweenthemselves."

Relatives
of the alleged mercenaries urged Mbeki to ensure the men receiveda fair
trial.

Marge Pain, whose husband, Ken, 60, was the flight engineer,
called on Mbekito look into their plight as soon as possible.

"My
tears are finished, I can't cry anymore," she said.

"When I met Ken [in
the Harare prison] I spoke to him through a glass at theintervention of the
department of foreign affairs. Prison warders told me Iwas not allowed to
speak Afrikaans, only English.

"All I ask from the president is that he
ensures Ken and other men receive afair trial. The guilty ones must be
punished and those that are innocentreleased."

Piet Style, a brother
of the plane captain, Neil, said he spent four days inHarare but was not
allowed to speak to his brother.

"I pleaded with the magistrate to allow
my father to speak with him and theyeventually gave him only 10
minutes."

Style said prison authorities had reduced food parcels to their
relatives.

"We are obliged to give them small rations of the food and
can't even talkto them."

Jerry Carlse, a brother of Harry, 40, the
alleged weapons inspector of thegroup, said most of the men had lost
weight.

"Harry has lost weight and is in no good
condition."

Government 'an accessory' to their crime

Gibson said
the government was an accessory to whatever crime the allegedmercenaries
were going to commit.

He said the intelligence and foreign affairs
departments "bragged" that theyhad alerted authorities in Zimbabwe about the
intentions of the allegedmercenaries after they departed from South
Africa.

"The government knew what was happening and for it to allow these
men toleave South Africa means it is an accessory to the crime the men were
goingto commit."

The alleged mercenaries were arrested at Harare
International Airport twomonths ago when they landed to refuel and pick up
military equipment.

Zimbabwean authorities claim they were on their way
to join 15 suspectedmercenaries arrested in Equatorial Guinea.

Gibson
said the government should have stopped the men before their planetook off
from Polokwane airport.

Gibson said the DA had called on the government
to explain what steps it wasgoing to take to ensure the men received a fair
trial.

"We have consistently held the government to account for its
actions on thismatter and we will continue to do so."

The department
of foreign affairs was not immediately available for comment.

Flying straight into a state of confusionBy Adam
GilchristMay 18, 2004

I'm confused. Really, really confused. And
I've got to admit, it is becominga bit frustrating. Having arrived in
Zimbabwe several days ago and havinghad the chance to experience first-hand
the mood of the country, I'm no morecertain as to what is a right or wrong
decision in regards to the manycomplicated issues.In fact, I'm not sure
there is such a thing as right or wrong in thesescenarios, because whatever
point of view one person has, someone else issure to have just as strong an
opinion leaning the other way.

Should we pull out of this tour on moral
grounds? If we did, what effectwould that have on the situation here? Should
we pull out in support of the15 sacked Zimbabwean cricketers? Is it more
important to fulfil ourobligations to make sure the game survives here? Does
cricket need Zimbabwe?

There are many difficult questions that can't be
answered without a greatdeal of thought. As Stuart MacGill mentioned, it
took him 12 to 18 months tobe sure in his mind.

The moral question
has been presented to us over and over again, and I guesswe've made public
our answer by fronting for the tour. We feel we can tourZimbabwe, or any
country, and not be seen to be supporting the localpolitical regime. It's
the game of cricket and part of our mandate ascricketers and administrators
is to look after the game's health.If those in the game of politics want to
overrule, please go ahead as thatis your mandate, and I'm sure we would
follow the lead. That said, it's notas if we haven't spent many hours
thinking of the people of Zimbabwe whohave reportedly suffered. The
knowledge of alleged heartache and pain feltby many has registered deeply
with the members of our team and has only madeour decision-making more
difficult.

On the back of that complex situation comes the internal
battle between theZimbabwe Cricket Union and the bulk of the talent pool of
players. Again,it's confusing and hard to know where the truth lies. Each
side has what itbelieves is the "real" story and again not everybody will be
happy with theoutcome.

On the field there is an equally perplexing
scenario in which the teamZimbabwe is fielding has so far been nowhere near
the standard you'd expectat Test level.

A month ago I wrote that
cricket needs to support any nation that findsitself in tough times, on or
off the field, but watching Sri Lanka pulverisethe young opposition hasn't
made for pleasurable viewing.

No, it's obviously not good for the game,
but others will argue it'sshort-term pain for long-term gain. There it is
again - two sides to theargument.

And finally, with all this turmoil
and only 300 or so registered seniorcricketers here, the question is being
asked: does the ICC need to maintainZimbabwe as a fully fledged Test-playing
nation? Are we better focusing onother developing areas such as Kenya,
Holland or Canada? Again, I'm not sureof the correct answer.

Perhaps
there was an indication of the future of cricket in Zimbabwe in thenational
newspaper in Harare last Sunday.

With Zimbabwe involved in a Test match
in Bulawayo, there was one smallcolumn of match reports dedicated to that
game and yet four pages assignedto the fact that neighbour South Africa had
won the right to host the 2010soccer World Cup.

It's no secret that
soccer is the most followed sport in these areas and nowwith the world's
focus being on the folk next door in six years' time, Isuspect cricket will
be under even more strain to survive.

AUSTRALIA'S cricket tour of Zimbabwe is in grave danger of being
scrapped.

A group of neutral nations including India and South Africa
have approachedthe ICC with a request the tour be abandoned if the 15 white
rebels whosecontracts were torn up last week do not agree to play in this
week's firstTest in Harare.

As tensions built in world cricket, world
record-breaking spinner MuttiahMuralitharan yesterday confirmed he intended
to boycott Sri Lanka's wintertour of Australia featuring July Tests in
Darwin and Cairns after PrimeMinister John Howard claimed last week he was a
chucker.

ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed last night landed in Harare in
a desperateattempt to break the stand-off in Zimbabwe.

It is
understood that if Speed cannot solve the dispute he will recommendthe
series be postponed and the Australian players will return home.

But the
series is unlikely to be postponed if Zimbabwe insists it
goesahead.

ICC officials were last night searching through their
charter to see whatmeasures it could take to call off the series if Zimbabwe
concedes it shouldnot proceed.

With their rebel players, Zimbabwe are
a modest side. Without them they arelambs to the slaughter. The rebel-less
Zimbabwe have been thrashed by SriLanka in two Tests over the past
fortnight.

On the Murali issue, the ICC last night urged Prime Minister
Howard to stopexpressing opinions on the Sri Lankan spinner's action which
have sparked afurore in his homeland.

"Obviously it is not helpful
when high-profile people make these comments -they should talk to us first,"
ICC president Eshan Mani said from London.

Muralitharan had been
considering withdrawing from the tour because ofrelentless crowd abuse
during previous Australian tours and the Howard tauntseems to have made up
his mind to stay at home, robbing northern fans of thechance to watch
Muralitharan duel with Australia's Shane Warne for the worldwicket-taking
record.

Mr Howard told The Daily Telegraph last night: "Muttiah
Muralitharan is verywelcome to come to Australia when Sri Lanka tour later
this year.

"I was simply reflecting on the scientific research in Perth
in relation toone of his deliveries."

Kevin Maher, president of
Cricket Far-North and uncle of Queensland Pura Cupcaptain Jim, yesterday
wished the Prime Minister had kept his view tohimself.

"Is Johnny
qualified to speak on this matter?" Maher said. "He might be acricket lover
but I don't know that it's his place to call him a chucker.

"It's
disappointing. The whole city of Cairns was looking forward to himcoming.
The clash between Muralitaharan and Warne was a big thing for us.

"We
want him here. It [the chucking issue] becomes so technical with all
thetesting.

"Murali has done his bit. He has gone to Perth for all
the testing. TheAustralian players have come out and said they hope he plays
on."

The Prime Minister isn't without his supporters, however, when it
comes toanalysing technical aspects of cricket.

A cricket fanatic, he
was also a reasonable spin bowler, having beendescribed previously as "the
most biomechanically correct spin bowler inpolitics" by former Test spinner
Kerry O'Keeffe.

But Maher was yesterday preparing to approach Queensland
Cricket to see ifit could make a personal plea to Muralitharan to change his
mind and makethe tour.

Sri Lankan Cricket, which has been leaning on
Muralitharan for severalmonths to commit to touring Australia, has changed
its stance after MtHoward's comments.

"If Murali makes a request not
to go to Australia we will definitely givehim that option," Sri Lankan
Cricket president Mohan de Silva said.

Harare - Zimbabwe's inflation rate fell by 78.7% in April to
505%, anofficial newspaper reported on Monday, as the country pressed on
withefforts to bring inflation down to under 200% by the end of the
year.

The Herald attributed the drop from the previous month's figure of
583.7% tothe launch of a new monetary policy in December 2003.

In
launching the tighter policy, Central Bank Governor Gideon Gono said hewas
confident that inflation would be brought down to less than 200% byDecember
2004.

Inflation has created extreme hardships for ordinary Zimbabweans,
who haveseen wages eroded and prices in shops going up on a regular
basis.

Foreign currency shortages here, and a flourishing black market
for hardcash, was blamed for fuelling inflation.

Foreign currency
auctions introduced by the central bank last year haveresulted in US$333.5m
flowing into the official market in the first threemonths of this year,
compared to $302m for the whole of last year, accordingto the bank